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Wilmington’s Tap Water Raises Concern For Public Health

Breaking news regarding the Wilmington NC tap water contamination | Greg Jones Law a National Personal Injury Law Firm based in Wilmington, NC

As a long-standing law firm from this community, we know the people of Wilmington have reasonable concerns for their health after recent reports of chemical contaminant GenX found in the Cape Fear River and their tap water system. About 250,000 people in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties drink water from a treatment system that takes raw water from this river.

GenX is a chemical that can’t be removed by traditional water treatment methods. It’s made by the Chemours Co. at Fayetteville Works, on the Cumberland-Bladen county line. The plant sits along the Cape Fear River, about 100 miles upstream from Wilmington.

We, at Greg Jones Law, are investigating cases concerning various types of cancer and other health issues that could be related to this contaminant. New information is surfacing every day.

This emerging chemical compound, still unregulated, is very similar in structure to PFOA or C8, another chemical linked to cancer and the focus of lawsuits across the country. DuPont and Chemours paid $671 million to settle thousands of lawsuits and more in fines by EPA for C8 contamination.

As former Wilmington Mayor Harper Peterson said in a public meeting, “we can express our fear, concern, worries and outrage”.

If you have reasons to believe you or your love ones have been directly affected by this contaminant, call us to get a consultation.

GenX is not the only chemical found in the Cape Fear River by scientists testing the water. They also found elevated levels of 1,4-dioxane, which is a contaminant that has caused liver and kidney damage in laboratory rats and EPA has determined to be a “probable human carcinogen.”

These issues are making headlines on local and national news media, while federal, state and city officials are still monitoring the waters.

TAKING POTENTIAL CASES RELATED TO POLLUTION OF WILMINGTON NC WATERS

Lawsuits have proven effective against contaminants. Sometimes it’s the only way to get the information you need or have the right to know.

Companies like DuPont and Chemours have had to pay large compensations for personal injuries to plaintiffs and the process has also forced companies to stop the contaminant.

If you are affected by this problem, you can call us at 855-Jones-Law or chat with us whenever you’re ready.

WATER CONTAMINATION IS A SERIOUS MATTER

Many Wilmington residents know from experience the public’s need to know regarding contamination problems. In the past, they’ve won legal battles for personal injuries and the community’s water.

Test samples collected by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) three years ago detected the GenX in the water supply for southeastern North Carolina at levels considered to pose a low risk to humans. But the plant has been discharging this chemical compound into the river for a long time and no maximum contaminant level or other guidance has been given by EPA or DEQ for GenX.

Researchers from EPA, N.C. State University and UNC Charlotte and Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) did the three-year study, but at the time the findings were not revealed to the public. The reason was because the scientists didn’t know much about GenX as an unregulated contaminant, it’s health effects on humans or in concentrations on fish from the river.

WHAT IS GENX?

GenX is the commercial name for a chemical compound made in the Bladen County by the Chemours Company (Chemours), which is a spinoff from DuPont.

The data about the relatively new chemical’s health effects on humans is scarce. There are no U.S. regulatory guideline levels for GenX.

It is a chemical created by DuPont to replace PFOA or C8, a key ingredient in the making of Teflon and other consumer goods, which was linked to cancer and other serious health ailments.

C8 was also unregulated, but was phased out by EPA. A class-action lawsuit alleged it caused cancer. DuPont said it began in 2009 to convert its customers to the use of fluoropolymers made with this alternative technology.

GenX has been associated to many of the same health issues as PFOA, such as cancer and reproductive health problems.

The Chemours Company came off DuPont in 2015. The Chemours Company is a publicly-traded Fortune 500 Company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

WHAT IS GENX IN TAP WATER?

Chemours was called on to remove the compound entirely from Cape Fear River by the public utility CFPUA on its June 16, 2017 announcement. CFPUA said it reserved the right to take legal action if this request wasn’t honored.

The company said the emissions from its Fayetteville facility did not impacted the safety of drinking water, but later, on June 21, 2017, announced that it will “capture, remove, and safely dispose of wastewater that contains the byproduct GenX generated from Fluormonomers production at its manufacturing plant in Fayetteville”.

Chemours also alleges that “trace GenX amounts in the Cape Fear River to date have been well below the health screening level announced by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on June 12, 2017”.

BOIL WATER ADVISORY

While the situation is under investigation and monitoring of the water systems continues in the counties, please follow the guidelines by the authorities to boil the water before consumption.

Call 855-566-3752 or contact us online today to talk with our firm about potential GenX effects and lawsuits for the contaminated Wilmington NC tap water. We do not charge for initial consultations. If there is no recovery, you owe no legal fees. Free Case Review

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